STATE COLLEGE, PA. - Officials of Shaner Hotels, an award-winning, international hotel owner, operator and developer, announced that its president, Plato Ghinos, has been appointed an inaugural member of the European Marriott Franchise Systems Advisory Council. Members of the newly created group will meet periodically with the top management of Marriott International, Inc., and its subsidiaries to review plans and programs. Also, the new group will examine other matters of common interest related to the various systems for operating franchised hotels located in Europe under brands licensed by Marriott.
“As a member of the U.S. counterpart, as well as an owner/operator of multiple Marriott-branded hotels throughout Italy, Greece and Cyprus, I believe I have a unique perspective to add to the newly established European Marriott Franchise Systems Advisory Council,” said Plato Ghinos, president, Shaner Hotels. “While branded hotels are ubiquitous throughout the United States, they remain a growing phenomenon throughout Europe, where independent and boutique hotels tend to hold more sway. I look forward to adding my voice to the process as Marriott continues its worldwide growth goals.”
The council’s purpose is to promote constructive, open and two-way communications between the Marriott Systems franchisees and Marriott management to develop better mutual understanding.
In addition to being president of the Shaner’s U.S. hotel division, he also is managing director of Shaner Italia, where he oversees the company’s Italian portfolio. He was instrumental in forming a partnership with CS Hospitality in Athens, Greece, to expand its portfolio throughout the Mediterranean. Ghinos is a member of several boards, including the MINA board for full-service Marriott's, University of Delaware’s Hotel Restaurant & Institutional Management (HRIM) Advisory Board and the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference Advisory Board. He also served as a franchise advisory member for Marriott International’s Fairfield Inn & Suites and currently is on the MOXY brand board. He received his B.A. in Business Administration from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and his M.B.A. at the American Graduate School of International Management – Thunderbird Campus in Phoenix, Arizona.
